Koufodinas may be granted temporary release on Thursday

Dimitris Koufodinas, a member of the November 17 terrorist organization sentenced to consecutive life terms for his role in 11 assassinations, may be released temporarily on furlough on Thursday.

Koufodinas’s previous request for leave had been rejected despite the fact that it was backed by the authorities at Korydallos Prison, where he is serving his sentence.

The last time a November 17 member was granted furlough was when Christodoulos Xiros dropped off authorities’ radar in January 2014. He was arrested a year later.

If Koufodinas is granted release this time around, it is expected to create some major turbulence for the government, which has come under fire over legislation aimed at easing overcrowding at the country’s prisons introduced by its previous justice minister, Nikos Paraskevopoulos, which resulted in the release of hundreds of inmates convicted for serious crimes.